Musing Monday 4/20/15

April 20, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Musing Monday asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

Musing Monday asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer each week…

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

The fourth novel in Kate Emerson’s well-reviewed series set in Tudor Englandbased on a real life member of the royal court of Henry VIII.
Following the acclaimed By Royal Decree, Pleasure Palace, and Between Two Queens, Kate Emerson again plucks a real figure from history in this lushly detailed tale featuring Lady Anne Stafford;who is torn between her husband and another man.
History remembers Lady Anne Stafford as the woman who cheated on her husband with both King Henry VIII and his companion, Sir William Compton. Lady Anne was indeed in love with two men at the same time, but the king wasn’t one of them. Lady Anne’s complex and heart-wrenching romantic relationships are at the core of this riveting tale that masterfully blends romance, drama, and historical detail as only Kate Emerson can

Musing Monday 4/13/15

April 13, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Musing Monday asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

Musing Mondays asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer each week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION:Who, in your life, are you best able to share your love of reading with?

Luckily for me I have many relatives who like to read and my friends as well. My Mom likes to read and I talk to her from time to time from books though we don’t always have the same interest in genre’s. My cousin’s..and my best friends love to read as well. Who could walk away from a book? I mean really?! I even have found a new hope to be friend through my Knit Night who enjoys reading and like me loves Dresden! Epic.

Book Review: The Queen’s Rival (In The Court of Henry VIII #3) by Diane Haeger

April 10, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

From the author of The Queen’s Mistake comes the untold story of King Henry VIII’s first well-known mistress.

As the beautiful daughter of courtiers, Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount is overjoyed when she secures a position as maid of honor to Katherine of Aragon. But when she captures the attention of the king himself, there are whispers that the queen ought to be worried for her throne.

When Bess gives birth to a healthy son the whispers become a roar. But soon the infamous Boleyn girls come to court and Henry’s love for her begins to fade. Now, Bess must turn to her trusted friend, the illegitimate son of Cardinal Wolsey, to help her move beyond life as the queen’s rival..

Anyone who knows even a small amount about the Tudor court has heard of Bess Blount and her Son to the King Henry Fitzroy, but do you know the whole story? In almost every Tudor era book I Have read they start with the Anne Boleyn era and graze over Bess Blount, so I was so excited to finally have a book that told more of her story. Yes it is fiction but oh it is so good.

Diane Haeger brings Bess to life as a vibrant fresh faced girl who truly loved the King, not just because he was the King but for the man that he was. It shows that unlike many who shared the King’s bed she did not think about what it would get her but how she loved him. More then that it shows the love that Gil had for her, even while she loved the King. This is a true story of love and desire and how it can change and grow over the years. I love the way the characters have been painted in this book. Flawed humans who are doing the best that they can through the situations they have been given. Henry in this book seems to know how flawed he is, that he uses those women in his life and how he has to harden his heart at times. The hard lines we have come to know Henry VIII for are softened some when you look at him through the loving eyes of Bess, even after he breaks her heart and takes their Son to court.

The way that Diane Haeger brings this court to life is quickly becoming one of my favorite to read. If you want to jump into the life of Tudor court through the eyes of a calm, gentle loving country girl like Bess this is going to be one for you. We may know the basics of the story but after reading this (fiction or not) I truly feel connected and as if I now know Bess better.

My Gemstone Rating:

Teaser Tuesday 4/7/15

April 7, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“To my annoyance, not only did the speaker refer to turtles by their common names, but the lecture ended after only an hour. I’d been enjoying the slides and the speakers commentary and congratulating myself on my ability to recognize different turtle species. I wanted to hear more.” ~ Confessions of a Turtle Wife by Anita Salzberg

Musing Monday 4/6/15

April 6, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Musing Monday asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

Musing Mondays asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer each week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION:What was your favorite book as a child?

The Black Stallion and then the entire series of black stallion books. Also Trinity by Leon Uris which in hindsight I probably shouldn’t have read so young, lol but I did and I loved it and I still do even if it was gory.

Musing Monday 3/30/15

March 30, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Musing Monday asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

Musing Mondays asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer each week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION:How old were you when you realized that you are an AVID reader?

I was pretty young when I noticed that I read more then most kids. I would say about 8 or 9. You see my Mom always took us to the library during the school year and the summer. So I would go home with sacks full of books and I would spend all day reading during the summer weeks and on weekends I read a lot as well. I just enjoyed it. More often then not when I was growing up as a “latch key” kid during the summer ect you would find me on the couch out on the porch reading. Enjoying the nice weather and a good book. Anytime we had those reading challenges or win a prize for how much you read ect in school I would win and honestly didn’t even try that hard.

Teaser Tuesday 3/24/15

March 24, 2015 - Ambrosia 1 Comment

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

“Which is true. I mean… take the Lord of the Rings movies- they’ve got loads of messages. Like “Don’t lose your ring.” Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella

Musing Monday 3/23/15

March 23, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Musing Monday asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

Musing Mondays asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer each week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What is your favorite lesson learned, or quote, from a recent book you’ve read?

Well that is a tough one. Most of my recent books have been Tudor books so the lesson would be do not catch the eye of Henry VIII but if I am going to think about a quote I am going to think about Harry Dresden because he is Harry Dresden and hey it has only been a few months since my last read so..the quote: “Paranoid? Probably. But just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that there isn’t an invisible demon about to eat your face.”

Book Review: The Lady of Secrets (The Dark Queen Saga #6) by Susan Carroll

March 20, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

The Lady of Secrets (The Dark Queen Saga #6) by Susan Carroll:

Meg Wolfe, The Lady of Faire Isle, is a gifted healer who can find a cure for almost any ailment. But she’s also the daughter of Cassandra Claire, a mad witch and heretic with a notorious history.

Meg’s infamous lineage makes her a target from both those who want to use her extraordinary talents for good and those who want to use them for evil.

One man in particular needs her special skills: to execute his revenge on a king. History and a kingdom hang in the balance as Meg tries to navigate the delicate line between right and wrong. And what she discovers is that she can no longer trust anyone or anything…not even her own heart.

I have long loved reading the stories in the Dark Queen Saga that Susan Carroll has created. The story that delves deeper into the story of Meg the new Lady of the isle is no different. For me the book started out a little bit slow but once it picked up I could not set it down. I am slightly baffled and slightly annoyed by some reviews I have come across on the internet when folks have said this was the first book by this author they have read and rated it down because they did not understand some of the past references, well it clearly states it is part of a series if you haven’t read the rest don’t judge the book because of that (end rant sorry about that!)

Once again we are treated to sweeping landscapes and we get a treat this time for much of the time is spend in England. I love this era and England, and Meg has a lot of things to overcome. Danger meets her at almost every turn and of course where she least expects to find it she finds some love. If you want a solid series with danger, love and a touch of magic this is one that you will enjoy. I am so happy that Meg got her happy ending, she deserved it after the tough childhood she had and then the loss of her Father. Some characters will always touch close to your heart for me Meg is one of them and the fierce Seraphine as well how could I forget her. She is loyal and brash and she finds her happiness again too after a lot of bitter loss. I hope we get another book in this series because I want to spend more time with my old friends.

My Gemstone Rating:

Booking through Thursday 3/19/15

March 19, 2015 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

This one is Hosted at the Booking through Thursday Blog.

What new book would make you spring out of your chair and run to the bookstore? (Or library, or nearest computer screen, depending on your book-delivery-method of choice.)

None have in a while, although if I was caught up on the Black Dagger Brotherhood I would do that one. However when the new Harry Dresden comes out….I will be leaping up for that.

The Purple Booker

Reading is…Bigger on the inside

Musing Monday 4/20/15

Musing Monday 4/13/15

Book Review: The Queen’s Rival (In The Court of Henry VIII #3) by Diane Haeger

Teaser Tuesday 4/7/15

Musing Monday 4/6/15

Musing Monday 3/30/15

Teaser Tuesday 3/24/15

Musing Monday 3/23/15

Book Review: The Lady of Secrets (The Dark Queen Saga #6) by Susan Carroll

Booking through Thursday 3/19/15